Online channels have helped farmers improve their income massively while ensuring that consumers continue to receive fresher produce. E-commerce for agribusiness ensures that you don't have to go through intermediaries to get to the consumer. Before you can enjoy its full benefits, you'll need to grow your online presence.
Are you a farmer or an agribusiness enthusiast looking to establish a substantial online presence and move beyond distributors?
This article has you in mind. Read on to find a step by step guide on how to build a successful brand and online presence. 💻
1. Set appropriate revenue goals and budget
For a start, you need to write a clear plan with some revenue goals. Consider breaking down your overall goals into smaller bits that you can quickly achieve. Small actionable steps will make your work less taxing. Ensure that you celebrate every goal that you attain. These little victories are what you need to spur you on to greater success.
Your goals should give you a sneak peek of the results you hope to get. Once you know what you want to achieve, think about different approaches you can take to get to your desired revenue goals. The plan you choose will significantly influence how you do your budgeting.
Set aside about 10% of your total revenue to cater to the marketing costs. Factor in your priorities as you work with a partner to come up with a reasonable budget. At this point, you can look at what has worked before, either for yourself or your peers.
Remember:
Yes, all your competitors are working around the clock to develop their online persona. Don't let their efforts drive your plans. Build your online presence with your business goals in mind. You'll have better direction and may achieve your goals with less hassle.
2. Branding
How would customers or prospects react to your site or online platforms when they visit? What picture do you want them to have about your venture? Such questions should inform how you choose to brand your investment.
The dynamic modern online market requires you to consider a brand refresh for your agribusiness venture. As you look into the future, ensure that you hold tight to your roots. Your traditions are your greatest assets, given that they give your venture its unique signature.
The first impression is everything. This assertion holds for most e-commerce businesses. Your product may be great, but if your online presence isn't attractive, no one will think twice about doing business with you.
Obsolete designs and stale graphics are a turn off for tech-savvy consumers. Odd color combinations tied to jumbled up fonts will do very little to aid your course. Don't forget that potential clients will interact with your brand before getting to your product. You want to give them a good impression. Then, you will have an easy time converting leads into buyers.
3. Website
With the decision to join the online community, setting up a website should be top on your mind. An experienced agency could come in handy in your efforts to grow your online presence. They will help you give a good case for your online products. A suitable agency should understand your buyers besides meeting the technical requirements.
As you set up the website, ensure that it enhances the user experience for your clients. With numerous options available, consumers don't want to spend an eternity, which may be one minute in this case, waiting for your web page to load.
There is so much information online for consumers. Ensure that your site offers the most relevant and helpful information concerning your agribusiness products.
Ensure that the site allows clients to search for products seamlessly. If your cart and checkout sections give consumers a hard time, none of your products will leave your store.
Is your website mobile-friendly? We spend most of our time on our phones, and it is far much easier to make orders while taking a break from work. Optimize your site to make sure that you don't miss out on this valuable traffic.
Search engine rankings now also depend on mobile optimization. Keep this factor in mind to ensure that you don't drop in your Google rankings. You want your site to pop up every time clients search for keywords related to your agribusiness. If your site does not cater for close to 70% of web traffic, smartphone users, then you'll miss out on worthwhile leads.
4. Promotion
Once the website is up and running, you need to figure out how you will expose it to your clientele. The idea is to convert visitors to buyers. The success of your venture lies squarely on how well you set up your marketing strategy.
With the right approach, you can expect consistent growth for your investment. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be an essential part of your promotion strategy.
Some of the best online marketing tools could include:
- Search engine optimization (SEO). Ensure that you use a relevant keyword for every page on the website. Create content that aligns to keywords about your products and venture. The best SEO practices should improve your website rankings, attract more visitors, and get you several paying customers. While at it, ensure that you don't sacrifice good content for keyword stuffing.
- Social media marketing. Farmers can leverage the millions of consumers who spend a lot of their time on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are among the most attractive social media platforms. With a click of the button, you can spread the word concerning your products and get serious leads from your followers.
- Email marketing. You'll need to keep in touch with your clients consistently. Create an email list of all potential customers and send useful emails regularly.
Work hand in hand with your marketing team to give your online brand the right publicity.
In Conclusion
Advances in technology have necessitated the shift to e-commerce for entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Do not miss out on the value of this critical development. If you would like to learn more about how to grow your online presence and brand, get in touch with our team today. We will help you make the most of available resources as you work towards maximizing your potential.
Anne Shenton is Agency Director at Ascend Inbound Marketing. Her primary focus at Ascend is to deliver quantifiable results to our clients in the form of leads, conversions and increased revenue. Anne holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Georgia Tech and a MBA from the University of Florida. Read more about Anne here.